24 February 2006

Omagh bomb relatives outraged by MI5 revelations

Relatives of the victims of the Omagh bombing have expressed outrage at the revelation that the British spy agency MI5 had been warned of a possible attack in the town, but failed to tell the RUC.

Officers reviewing the initial investigation into the atrocity have discovered email evidence that an American paid by MI5 and the FBI to infiltrate the Real IRA had warned that the group was planning to bomb the Co Tyrone town.

However, the warning from David Rupert, whose evidence led to the conviction and jailing of Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt, was never passed to police on the ground.

Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aidan was killed in the Omagh attack, said today: "At best, this is criminal negligence, at worst, it's assisting a terrorist murder plot."

Mr Gallagher said the revelations reinforced the need for a cross-border public inquiry to establish the full truth about Omagh.

"It must be thorough, comprehensive and impartial to find out exactly what happened and who should be held responsible for any failings," he said.